ECPs Are Learning the Power of Social Marketing
We take a look in this edition at how eyecare professionals can realize increased visibility and communicate the value of their service via the new marketing tools that social and digital media provide.
First, Foursquare Day founder, Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD, provides some practical insights into how to keep "checkins" fresh and vital, with the third edition of 4SqDay approaching on Monday April 16. And we examine a great new resource from Transitions which can help take eyecare professionals step-by-step in defining how, what and where they can better market and explain their expertise and build connections with patients.
Take a spin through the easy-to-access CLICK Archive located under the CLICK button at VisionMonday.com, which features dozens of Cool Tools, Sites to See and other resources for building your web image and your office's connection to patients. Have you tried something new on your website or launched a successful social media campaign? Tell us about it and we'll consider it for an upcoming feature in CLICK.
—The Editors
Embracing a "Social Media Holiday":
April 16 Is Foursquare Day
By Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD, FAAO
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
TAMPA, Fla.—Monday, April 16 is the third Annual International Foursquare Day. Frequently shortened to "4sqDay," the day is observed by millions of social media fans around the world as their "first global social media holiday."
In 2009, I became enamored with the location-based service application, foursquare. I wondered how I could use this new technology to promote my practice and I blogged that since 4 squared equals 16, 4/16/2010 would be a perfect "Foursquare Day" event at the office. The idea was infectious and by the first 4sqDay, 15,000 in 300 communities around the world participated. In 2011, it was even bigger with over 3 million foursquare check ins and over 1,000 events world-wide. This year promises to be even bigger.
Here are some ways that I have found to keep the event fresh:
- Continuity: Even though the actual day of celebration is April 16, we made efforts to keep things going in the "off season." We came up with the slogan "Make every day a foursquare day" so that we could transition the 4sqday brand from a single annual event to a blog that covers the people who use foursquare. This has provided continuous content to engage people and keep 4sqDay top of mind.
- Tradition: Over the three years of 4sqDay, we have developed activities that have become familiar for users. These are both nostalgic for long-time observers of the day and fun for the new participants. One example is Fake4sqday, a day when people post made-up foursquare check ins such as visiting the moon or oval office. It is simple, creative, and helps participants engage with the event.
- New Blood: The entire organization of 4sqDay is composed of volunteers who participate because it is fun and rewarding. But this also means that the very people that make it happen will lose interest and move on. Just as it is necessary to hire and train optical staff, it is important to identify people who are interested in taking on leadership roles and providing them with the tools and information to be successful.
- Expansion: As with event organizers, it is important to reach out to new users. Since 2011, there has been an explosion of international users. We make a special effort to reach out to them and help maker their first 4sqDay special.
- Adaptation: As stated above, in the social media world change is constant. Each year that we have organized 4sqDay we have taken advantage of the new tools that people are using. In 2010, we spent dozens of hours creating a custom website and blog. In 2011, we effectively used Meetup.com and YouTube to connect with foursquare fans. This year, Pinterest is the white-hot social application and we are using it to simply and effectively promote both the history and current celebration.
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This year at my office, Bright Eyes Family Vision Care, we have decided to run a 32% discount on glasses purchases with any foursquare check in on 4sqDay. Why 32%? Because it is 16 X 2 and it seemed like a good way to extend the geekiness of the day. We will promote it via the usual social channels such as our blog, Facebook, and Twitter. Hopefully it will be successful.
So Happy Foursquare Day! It has been an interesting experiment that has included both cutting-edge technology and traditional eyecare marketing. Enjoy the day. Take a moment to explore your city and the social media scene.
Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD, FAAO, Bright Eyes Family Vision Care, Tampa, Fla., is an optometrist specializing in the vision of infants and children. A social media evangelist, "Dr. Nate" has been a speaker at two CLICK Conferences: September 2011 and September 2010. He blogs to eyecare professionals about social media and practice management at Review of Optometric Business. He is a member of the social media committee of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development and is chair of the Florida Optometric Association's Children's Vision Committee. He founded Foursquare Day in March 2010.
A New Tool Helps Build An Interactive Marketing Plan
NEW YORK—Any marketing expert will tell you that a strong marketing plan requires a clear understanding of your business' identity and a prioritizing of what you want to achieve.
Eyecare professionals can now have such a service that can guide them. A new, online marketing tool and guide from Transitions Optical, Inc. helps to build an interactive marketing plan for their independent practices. Found at TransitionsMarketingWiz.com, the Marketing Wiz provides ECPs with guidance and resources for assessing the needs of their practice, retaining current patients, acquiring new patients and increasing revenue through a variety of strategies and tactics.
After registering for the tool, ECPs can use the Marketing Wiz to complete an overall practice self-assessment, derived from industry experts and a panel of independent eyecare professionals. The assessment–which takes about 15 minutes to complete–will help the practice identify their unique marketing needs based on a rating generated from their answers. The Marketing Wiz will then guide the professional through their results and help them set practice-specific marketing goals and build a marketing plan that includes a dynamically generated calendar of tactical steps required to achieve these goals.
The lively and graphic Marketing Wiz offers eyecare professionals various strategies for achieving three main marketing objectives: patient retention, patient acquisition and increasing revenue per patient.
As strategies are selected, the Marketing Wiz will recommend resources–or tactics–to help eyecare professionals achieve their unique goals. Resources include links to step-by-step guides and related Transitions Optical tools and information. The Marketing Wiz also offers additional resources such as a sample marketing plan, tips for analyzing a practice from a patient's perspective, team building techniques and tools for determining a marketing budget.
After an initial marketing plan is created with the Marketing Wiz, ECPs can choose to update their plan, track their goals through e-mail updates and create multiple marketing plans for various locations, if applicable. "We know how busy eyecare professionals are–and that time and resources are focused on patient care–the Marketing Wiz will help them to focus their marketing efforts and set goals that make the most sense for their businesses," said Carole Bratteig, professional development and education manager, Transitions Optical.
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